Clarinet



R. C. ELY

CLARINET July 23, 1940.

Filed June 29, 1938 ATTORNEY.

Patented July 23, 1940 UNITED STATES CLARINET Roland O. Ely, Superior, Wis., assignor to G. G.

Conn Ltd., Elkhart, Indiana Ind., a corporation of Application June, 29, 1938, Serial No. 216,456

5 Claims.

This invention relates to musical instruments of the wood-wind type such as clarinets, and particularly to one composed of two separable sections telescopically jointed together.

The principal object of the invention is to provide simple means whereby to prevent damage to the cooperative parts of the clarinet or other instrument during the manual assembly of the two sections.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description thereof.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing forming part of this application, and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the lower end of the mouthpiece section of a clarinet embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the upper end of the cooperating lower section of the clarinet; and

Figure 3 is an elevational View of the righthand end of the lower section of the clarinet shown in Figure 2.

In the drawing, the numeral l represents the lower end of the upper or mouth-piece section of a common clarinet, and 2 indicates the cooperative end of the lower section into which the tenon 3 of the upper section fits telescopically when the instrument is assembled for playing purposes. When such assembly occurs, it is well known that the gained extension 4 of the rocker shaft 5 upon the upper section overlaps a similarly stepped or gained extension 6 on the cooperative portion 1 35 of the rocker shaft, which latter, in both instances, are manipulated by the ring keys, one of which is illustrated at 8 and another at 9 on the respective sections of the clarinet.

At I is illustrated the reinforcing ferrule or 40 metal ring about the lower section, commonly found on such instruments, but in the application of the instant invention to the instrument,

I have shown this ring as having formed integrally therein the twin humps, or cam surfaces, 45 H and I2, occurring directly in front of the extension 8 of the rock shaft 1. These humps or cam-like projections are for the purpose of engaging an undercut portion 4a on the extension 4 and raising the extension 4 of the rock shaft on the section I of the instrument when the two sections are being telescopically united and rotated in either direction in relation to each other during such union, so that it becomes impossible in such rotation for the two extensions 4 and 6 to engage each other laterally and thereby be damaged by bending or the like.

The concavity between the humps H and I2 permits of perfectly free normal action of the extensions of the rocker shaft either together, or 5 that portion on the upper section of the instrument, independently.

While one particular means for preventing damage to the instrument has been described in detail, it is not my intention to limit the scope of the invention by that description, or otherwise than by the terms of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a musical instrument having a separable telescopically united tubular body comprising cooperating portions connected by a joint and a separable tiltable key arm having cooperative overlapping ends opposite said joint, cam means adjacent the union of the body portions engageable with said key arm upon relative angular movement of said portions to cause misalignment of the ends of the key arm during rotation and assembly of the body portions.

2. In a musical instrument having a separable telescopically united tubular body comprising cooperating portions connected by a joint and a separable tiltable key arm having sections provided with cooperative overlapping ends opposite said joint, a cam carried by one of said portions adjacent said joint and enga'geable with one section of the key arm upon relative angular movement of said portions to move it out of axial alignment with the other section of the key arm during rotative assembly of said portions of the body.

3. A musical instrument comprising body portions separably connected by a joint, a key having sections mounted respectively on said portions and operably connected by overlapping parts opposite said joint, and spaced cams mounted on one of said portions and actuated by relative angular movement of said portions in either direction to engage the section of the key having the outermost overlapping end and move it outwardly away from the other of said ends, said cams being separated by a space in which said ends move freely when the instrument is assembled.

4. A musical instrument having a separable telescopically united tubular body comprising cooperating portions connected by a joint, a separable tiltable key arm having cooperating overlapping ends opposite said joint, and means carried by one of said body portions and coacting with one of the key arm ends when the body portions are displaced relatively to each other out of their normal assembled position for moving the ends of the key arm out of alignment with each other.

5. A musical instrument having a separable telescopically united tubular body comprising 00- operating portions connected by a joint, a separable tiltable key arm having cooperating overlapping ends opposite said'joint, and means carried by the body portion having the innermost key arm end and coacting with the outermost key arm end when the body portions are displaced angularly relative to each other out of their normal assembled position to move the outermost key arm end outwardly out of alignment with the innermost key arm end.

ROLAND C. ELY, 

